Cuba Background
Cuba is an island 160km from the US coast under Florida
- It is within missile range of Washington D.C. (US capital)
- Main export = sugar
It was liberated from Spain in 1898 with US help
- It gave Guantanamo Bay to America as a gift for their help
- Guantanamo Bay became "America's playground" and casinos, oil refinery's and hotels were
established there
The people live in extreme poverty
- 2% of the people own 50% of the land
- 44% live in rural areas
- 40% of them are illiterate, thus Cuba has a lack of skilled labour
- There is a shortage of teachers, schools, doctors and hospitals
General Batista ruled Cuba as a dictator between 1952 and 1959 (coup recognised by America)
- After 3 years of Guerilla warfare, Fidel Castro seized control (assisted by Che Guevara)
- Castro was anti-capitalist and declared socialist reforms (land redistribution, collectivisation
and nationalisation)
- Hundreds of thousands of Cubans fled as they did not agree with Castro’s radical revolution
- Trade relations soured and Americans withdrew investment
America disapproved of Castro as he was not capitalist
- They cut Cuba off from America, forcing Castro to turn to the Soviets and Khrushchev
- The CIA began to train Cuban exiles to invade Cuba
Cuba is an island 160km from the US coast under Florida
- It is within missile range of Washington D.C. (US capital)
- Main export = sugar
It was liberated from Spain in 1898 with US help
- It gave Guantanamo Bay to America as a gift for their help
- Guantanamo Bay became "America's playground" and casinos, oil refinery's and hotels were
established there
The people live in extreme poverty
- 2% of the people own 50% of the land
- 44% live in rural areas
- 40% of them are illiterate, thus Cuba has a lack of skilled labour
- There is a shortage of teachers, schools, doctors and hospitals
General Batista ruled Cuba as a dictator between 1952 and 1959 (coup recognised by America)
- After 3 years of Guerilla warfare, Fidel Castro seized control (assisted by Che Guevara)
- Castro was anti-capitalist and declared socialist reforms (land redistribution, collectivisation
and nationalisation)
- Hundreds of thousands of Cubans fled as they did not agree with Castro’s radical revolution
- Trade relations soured and Americans withdrew investment
America disapproved of Castro as he was not capitalist
- They cut Cuba off from America, forcing Castro to turn to the Soviets and Khrushchev
- The CIA began to train Cuban exiles to invade Cuba
